A look at "Cheers" Appearances on Other Shows

Back when Cheers was new, something kind of unusual happened. A short episode was produced for the United States government all about the benefit of savings bond. The episode, if you can even call it that, is 11 minutes long and never aired on TV.

Sadly the clip is not on YouTube but Venmeo. So if you want to watch it you need to CLICK HERE

The funny thing is that this was not the first time Cheers did a segment for another show. I guess it makes sense, the show was a mega hit for NBC so of course the network is gonna use the show to promote there own network. Though sometimes, these appearances had nothing to do with NBC. The funny thing is if you go thru these clips you geta nice history of the series, from the early Shelley Long days to the later years with Kirstie Alley, Here are a few times when Cheers made an appearance on another show other than there own. 

NBC PREVIEW

In what I think is an embarrassing one the relatively new series serves as the framing device for NBC's new 1983 fall lineup. 

Ok the Cheers stuff was lame but good lord do I wish TV was like this again. Sigh, I miss the old days when networks were one big happy family.

Top 10 Best Comic Teenage Sidekicks

One of the sillier concepts from the old days of comics that isn't around so much anymore is the teenage sidekick. It never made sense to me, why would kids relate more the brat kid being kidnapped every issue rather than the big strong hero saving the day?? Maybe that's why they died out. But for awhile everyone had a kid sidekick and today I want to run through what I think are the ten best.

A lot of times Sidekicks are there for comic relief. Such as Woozy Winks and the lame Uncle Marvel. Sometimes they're just..boring like Jimmy Olsen or Stripesy (Before the New 52 made him sort of badass). And sometimes they are just so lame like when Sandman had a sidekick named Sandy no one remembered (until rebooted in the 90's). When they do work they really work however. 

You may wonder why Donna Troy isn't on here, and let's just say it's a long story. This list does not take into account these characters appearances in movies or tv nor does it include future alter ego's they would aquire (good or evil). Just how they functioned as a sidekick. This list is rated by there impact and lasting appeal. And most importantly, they had to have spent time working with the hero they are emulating. These days the rule seems to be make a teenager with super powers have almost no relationship at best with the adult hero they are emulating, and that's just not a sidekick to me. 

Johnny Thunder (JSA)

Why the JSA needed a mascot, as he was called, is anyone's guess. But that's what he was an honorary member who hung around and had a friendly thunderbolt around to do his bidding (whether he knew it or not). 

Five Trek Series Concepts Quickly Abandoned

 It's always funny to look back at an idea and see ideas that creators came up that never came to the screen. These were ideas which for one reason another, such as budget or just realizing the idea was idiotic, never made it to the show. However, what's even more interesting is when an idea does make it to the show-before it gets dropped because creators realize it made no sense for one reason or another. 

Here are five Trek examples of an idea that made it to air before vanishing. 

Yeomans-TOS 

I think most people know how and why Grace Lee Whitney left the show. But what is often overlooked is that not only did Janice Rand leave, but the whole concept did as well. The first pilot had a yeoman, who literally stood there looking worried all episode. In the series proper Rand was supposed to the captain's personal yeoman, and we see that in a couple early episodes where Rand is keeping his organized and serving him coffee. In one episode Kirk barks at the idea of a female yeoman because he doesn't need another female to worry about. I love 60's sexism, I mean it's not as if a female yeoman would be competent! Anyway as I think i mentioned before after Grace Lee Whitney was let go the yeoman's made less and less appearances on the show and Kirk certainly never had his own personal valet again.

Top 5 Least Favorite "Diane" Episodes of Cheers

A few years ago I talked about how I was more of a fan of the Kirstie Alley era than the Shelly Long era of Cheers. So to do a best/worst list it had to be that era of of the series since I wasn't as familiar with the first five seasons. Since then I have become familiar with that era, and yeah most of these episodes are great. Not all of course. So to make things even here are five best/worst from that period.

And no they don't have to be centered on Diane to count here. I also decided to keep it to five rather than 10 because there were only five seasons.

Father Knows Least 

Some episodes just feel, off. There's no way to really describe it but this one about Carla's pregnancy (her first on the show) just felt weird to me. Especially that ending that even Carla herself seems to think is a tad odd. 

My Tribute-Five Favorite Less Known Betty White Roles

 So I guess I have to do this one, never really wanted to. I don't need to explain what an icon Betty White was we all know it. She has done a lot of movie and TV, and so as a tribute due to her passing today here are five of my favorites. We all know about stuff like Mary Tyler Moore, Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland but there were plenty more. 

Carol Butnett Show/Mama's Family

It's not talked about a lot but she made a lot of appearances on Carol Burnet, and it's spin off Mama's Family. On both she played the stuck-up daughter Ellen who was clearly Mama's favorite and was always fighting with Eunice. I think this character would have been one of her iconic one's, if not fot a certain character she created in 1986. 

A Look at "5 More Sleeps Til Christmas"

It's always awesome to see new Christmas specials every year. It had seemed for a while the only new one's we got were Pixar or Dreamworks properties given forced holiday stories. So it's nice to see new ideas. For example, Toon Disney gave us a brand-new CGI Mickey special with an original story. It started out ok but they wrote themselves into such a corner that the ending was totally forced and kinda ruined it for me. Another special that came along this year was a little treat called...

This apparently began life as a book by Tonight Show host and SNL alum Jimmy Fallon. It's a kids book so of course I never heard of it. How does the animated special hold up?

Six Best Christmas Songs That Came From Movies

It was ten years ago I talked about how sometimes a song from a Christmas movie may be more popular than the movie itself. Today I want to take a different approach, when a song that premiered in a movie does so well it becomes a timeless standard. It's easy for a movie to use a song that's already a classic, for the movie to produce the classic is a little harder! Here are five of my favorite Christmas songs that just happen to have started out on the big screen.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Judy Garland is awesome, and no matter how many cover this (even Frank Sinatra) her's is the best version of the song. From the movie "Meet Me in St Louis" Garland has proven that she has more to remembered for than just "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".